Wanting to try out my first Cider

[voltron]

@voltron, I'm sure your kit will make a decent cider on your first try out, and that's cool, that's great. Enjoy it. But if you really want to get fancy about it, maybe next time you can get to an orchard, buy a couple gallons of theirs, either fresh or frozen is fine, try to get it without any preservatives, and use that. You might find yourself very pleasantly surprised with just how awesome it turns out.

Couldn't agree more! I have some friends with approximately 13 apple trees, and a few pear trees on their farm. Every fall we press as much as we possibly can; makes for some amazing cider (and perry)!

[flars]

@dmtaylo2 You have me interested in cider. Time to do some reading. I think I'll be using the unheated garage for the fermentor beginning late fall. Will be able to use a warm water bath to maintain a low fermentation temperature during the cold weather. Cheaper for me to have a water bath than keep a dedicated space cool in warmer weather.

[dmtaylo2]

I use a plain water bath in the garage myself a lot of times just to keep fermentation temperature more even when nighttime temperatures dip down towards the 30s and 40s. Ideally I think cider should be fermented near lager temperatures or very cool ale temps of like 55-60 F. Does it really matter that much? I guess I don't know for certain but it sure seems like it to me.

[WMNoob]

Dave, you mentioned lactose as a sweetening addition. What’s a good baseline in your opinion per gallon? When do you add it? I’m going to take a stab at cider making this week and would like to make some dry, some semi sweet and some sweet. I had planned on using Notty but will probably go another direction now. Thanks for your comments!

[dmtaylo2]

Lactose......

1 oz per gallon will barely take the edge off dryness. You might not even notice it.
1.5-2 oz per gallon will definitely take the edge off.
2.5-3 oz per gallon will begin to give the cider some sweetness and body.
3.5 oz per gallon is the maximum I would recommend and will taste quite sweet.

More recently I've been recommending xylitol, which is another unfermentable sweetener. It tastes just like sugar and is sweeter than lactose. If using xylitol, try about 0.5 oz less per gallon than recommended above. Warning: Xylitol is extremely poisonous to dogs, so be careful with it. But tastes exactly like sugar, which is nice.

Cheers and good luck!

[sneezles61]

Will lactose cloud up the cider? And I will assume it won't start to ferment again...? And somewhere, did I read you're liking Kviek yeast too? I apologize for so many questions... Now I feel like a "newb" needing to ask the master these questions... This W/E I will get started on my apple making gizmo... I have access to many, many apples! Sneezles61 Sneezles61

[dmtaylo2]

Lactose could add a slight haze possibly. Xylitol wouldn't. Neither is fermentable.

I don't know very much at all about kviek yeast. I never had a kviek beer yet. Eventually. To those who have and love it or want to learn more, cheers, but you're asking the wrong guy.

[WMNoob]

So my cider guy is giving me 15 gallons. I'm going to do 5 each with: US-05, Notty, and Cote des Blancs. The exciderment is already building!

[dmtaylo2]

Excellent! That's basically a repeat of an experiment that I've done previously. Very educational!

[porkchop]

I've used Notty once for cider. Never again. Maybe you'll have a better experience, but I've never experienced that much sulfur over many many batches. 5 years later, the stuff still stinks like I've fed a dozen hard-boiled eggs to the dog.

Now Voss Kveik, on the other hand...

[WMNoob]

All in the jug now. I’ll report back. The cider is from a commercial farming operation and was a blend of juice from a whiole bunch of different varieties. Plain it tastes amazing!

[porkchop]

What was your OG?

[sneezles61]

You're right... My apologies, It was Pork Chop! I still regard your knowledge on all things cider, as gospel! Sneezles61

[WMNoob]

1.040 out of the kettle.

[dmtaylo2]

1.040 is kind of low. You might want to add literally just a couple of ounces of sugar to bring it above 1.045 or 1.050. I believe low OG ciders have more of a tendency to get contaminated. With cider, there are contaminants galore, there's acetobacter in the air everywhere and you don't want that and it's not as easy as you think to keep at bay.

[WMNoob]

Thanks! Everything had started this AM. Will those yeasts ferment down to the FGs similar to beer wort?

[dmtaylo2]

No, they'll all most likely finish 0.994 to 1.004. Give the yeast enough time to get to that point, a good 4-6 weeks at least.

[WMNoob]

Well, tasted two out of the three last night- US-05 and the CDB. Both are delicious, gravities around .994-.996. The US-05 version is nice and dry, great apple cider nose, and a crisp finish. I kegged it and will make it sparkling.The CDB version has the same nose but retained that apple "tang". Wife likes it the best and likes her cider still so that one will end up in bottles although I'm thinking a cannonball of the fizzy stuff might be tasty as well. Pretty happy with these two, we'll see how the Notty tastes today. Very pleased with my first attempt!

[Sgwink]

Tried making my first cider today. Added some brown sugar to it and going to try it with EC 1118. Any experience with brown sugar or the EC yeast?

[sneezles61]

Not a cider but a New Castle clone... And I can tell its in there... Using about 3/4 cup... Sneezles61